Identification of stable fly attractant compounds in vinasse, a byproduct of sugarcane-ethanol distillation.

Med Vet Entomol. 2017 Dec;31(4):381-391. doi: 10.1111/mve.12246. Epub 2017 Aug 21. Jelvez Serra NS1,2, Goulart HF3, Triana MF2, Dos Santos Tavares S2, Almeida CIM2, DA Costa JG4, Santana AEG2, Zhu JJ5. Author information 1 Biology Department, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. 2 Instituto de Quimica e Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceio, Brazil. 3 Centro de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Rio-Largo, Brazil. 4 Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA) Tabuleiros Costeiros, Rio Largo, Brazil. 5 U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Agrosystem Management Research Unit, Lincoln, NE, U.S.A. Abstract The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae), is a worldwide pest of livestock. Recent outbreaks of stable flies in sugarcane fields in Brazil have become a serious problem for livestock producers. Larvae and pupae found inside sugarcane stems after harvesting may indicate that stable flies use these stems as potential oviposition or larval development sites. Field observations suggest that outbreaks of stable flies are associated with the vinasse and filter cake derived from biomass distillation in sugarcane ethanol production that are used as fertilizers in sugarcane fields. Adult stable flies are attracted to vinasse, which appears to present an ideal larval development site. The primary goal of the present study is to demonstrate the role of vinasse in influencing the sensory physiological and behavioural responses of stable flies, and to identify its associated volatile attractant compounds. Both laboratory and field studies showed that vinasse is extremely attractive to adult stable flies. Chemical analyses of volatiles collected revealed a wide range of carboxylic acids, alcohols, phenols and aldehydes as potential attractant compounds. These newly identified attractants could be used to develop a tool for the attractant-baited mass trapping of stable flies in order to reduce infestations. KEYWORDS: Attractants; GC-EAG; GC-MS; integrated pest management; stable fly; vinasse PMID: 28833391 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12246